Star Warrior Legacies: Ray and the Cursed Mirror
by WhiteHeroAlex
Summary: Kirby goes missing just as darkness from the Mirror World threatens the land! One puffball takes it upon himself to find the legendary hero and help him save Dreamland from evil! Even if he has to be dragged along for the ride.
1. An Introduction

**Chapter 0: An Introduction**

* * *

_The multiverse is a big place. No, really, it's huge. Every world imaginable can be found, if you happen to know how to travel between them. From fantastical kingdoms where magic flows freely, to epic worlds where the gods themselves guide humanity. Even utterly nonsensical ones, where logic takes a backseat and the only laws appear to be the laws of comedy. Or those places where...nah, never mind. If anyone but my friends are reading this, I don't wanna scar them for life._

_Anyway, there's just one constant between them. No matter where you look, there will always be light and dark. And the forces of them both are always in conflict. The nature and scale tend to vary a lot; it could be as simple as friendly competition (which is very rare to happen naturally by the way), to all out wars between the heavens and the underworld. There won't be an end to their fighting, their struggle for dominance over one another._

_And yet, they can't completely rid their opposite. They're two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other, yadda yadda yadda. I'm sure you've heard that a lot from other places. So why don't they just stop fighting and try living peacefully, you may ask. That's a good question. I don't have a good answer._

_But what I do have is the will to change it._

_Yes, you read that right. Me, going out to change the one constant in the multiverse. Well, one of the two. The other constant is change, but that's not one I'm interested in changing. And that's more Rex's thing anyway. Kinda. You'll see later on._

_But enough rambling. I do that enough next page. This is my story. Of one individual who got caught up on both sides of the eternal conflict of light and dark. Of one individual who sought to put an end to the fighting. Of one individual who simply wanted to be on the sidelines. Of one individual named..._

_**RAY BARANSU**_

* * *

****AUTHOR'S NOTE****

_****Hey, thanks for reading! This is my first story, and hopefully the first of many to come. Just a heads up, these will mostly be focused on the OCs, with most of the Kirby cast more or less dropping out after this story's finished. Kirby's going to be sticking around, though, as well as a few others you'll see later on. ****_**_**And this story will assume you're familiar with the Kirby franchise already, since I'm not confident enough to try describing everything as if nobody's ever even heard of it before. **_**_****Hope you enjoy my works nonetheless!****_


	2. Dark Beginnings

**Chapter 1: Dark Beginnings**

* * *

_Starting an adventure journal here before I begin in earnest. Why? Just in case this is my method of saving, I guess. Dreamland's pretty weird and, call me crazy, might just be a big game to somebody. I mean, you heal by eating food, most of the bigger inhabitants just so happen to drop these star things Kirby can use against them in a pinch, and the 1-Ups just don't seem to make sense. You get one and you just respawn close to where you die, when you do die. And they're so plentiful in Dreamland specifically. Why do they even exist anyway? HOW do they exist?_

_I'm rambling, aren't I? Anyway, I've got two of them on hand, and for good reason. Darkness is looming on the horizon. The Dimensional Mirror is acting up, and this time more people than just Meta Knight have noticed. Dedede and MK are prepping for war. Why war, specifically? Kirby's missing, that's why! Dreamland's own savior, the pink puffball himself, just gone without a trace! Even DDD hosting a banquet hasn't gotten him to show up! Everyone's fearing the worst, that he succumbed to the darkness already. Hope's dwindling day by day, and whatever dark being from beyond the mirror is just...sitting there! Nobody seems to know why._

_Some say Kirby already went through the mirror to fight the darkness, but nobody's actually seen his Warpstar heading to it. The mirror hasn't descended at all, so he can't have gone on foot. He can't have gone through the mirror, but nobody can say where he might've gone then. That's why I'm heading out to find him, so he can save the day once again!_

_Only one problem; I have no idea where to start looking. As far as anyone knows, Kirby could be anywhere on Pop Star. Or anywhere in the galaxy, really. He's been off world before, three times in fact. So before I go looking anywhere, I'm gonna go see if DDD knows where he's at, then MK if that turns up nothing. Hey, in fact, DDD might just be jealous of Kirby's constant success and just has him locked up in his castle! Hoping that's actually the case so I can just retreat to the sidelines ASAP. I know I'm not hero material, I'd just get my butt handed to me by whatever that darkness beyond the mirror is. And I'm rambling again, aren't I? Well, I'm gonna get going then. Write ya soon!_

_**Ray**_

* * *

On a cliff overlooking the skies where the Dimensional Mirror sits, a cyan Kirby finishes writing in a journal, its cover as red as his feet. He closes it and vanishes it into thin air as he stands up and stares at the portal to the Mirror World. The skies around it are covered with thunderclouds, the mirror itself crackling with dark energy.

"Hope I can find him in time." Ray says, pulling out a red and white parasol. "Otherwise...guess we have to hope whatever's over there doesn't come here." He turns around and runs off towards a castle on a mountain in the other direction.

* * *

At the entrance to Castle Dedede, the cyan puffball encounters two guards standing outside, who look more like knight helms with hands and feet. As he moves to head inside, the Sir Kibbles take the blades on their heads and cross them, barring him entry.

"No one is allowed inside!" they state simultaneously.

"Yeah, I get that," Ray counters, backing up a step, "but I kinda sorta maybe have to go see Triple D about something."

"No one is allowed to see the King!"

"Wait, aren't you supposed to tell me to state my business or something first?" Ray takes a step forward. "I mean, I still get you guys not letting me simply walk into-"

"The castle is off-limits until further notice!" the left Kibble exclaims.  
"...does that include people like Meta Knight?"

"Yes!" the right guard shouts, getting slapped by the dull side of the left guard's blade immediately after.

"Oh, so you _do_ have Kirby here. Good to know." Ray backs up a couple more steps, holding his parasol straight up. "Welp, been nice talking to ya, but I gotta go storm the castle now."

The leftmost Sir Kibble tosses his blade at the puffball as he opens the umbrella, the edge coming right back to him as Ray suddenly shoots up into the sky. Once high enough, Ray closes the parasol and holds it in front of him, going into a dive right as Shotzos lined along the walls start firing at him. They all miss, some just barely, as the puffball crashes through the eye-shaped window.

Inside, Ray's met by a variety of enemies, mostly Waddle Dees, all of whom shocked by his sudden entrance. Most of the Dees run away, a brave few towards, and the non-Dees all ready their weapons.

"Yeah, I probably should've seen this coming." Ray sidesteps one Waddle Dee and bats another one away with his parasol. "Storming castles can never be easy, can it?"

* * *

After several minutes of fighting through the various forces of Dedede's army, Ray arrives at the King's throne room, munching on a big tomato with a big M emblazoned on it.

"Seriously, what's in these that make them so tasty and heallllo, what's going on here?" the puffball mutters as he waltzes in, pausing just past the doorway. King Dedede is there, along with many Waddle Dees, all paying attention to an odd machine in the middle of the room. It's projecting a dark energy towards one particular Waddle Dee suspended within it, with various buttons, knobs, levers, meters, and needles riddled over the base of the device, all being tended to by the various Dees. Everyone seems to enraptured by the machine that no one notices Ray sneaking up on Dedede and giving the big penguin a poke on the back with the tip of his parasol.

"What the-!?" Dedede exclaims as he turns around, the puffball quickly putting the umbrella behind his back. "What do you think you're doing here!? How'd you even get inside!?"

"I'm Ray" states the puffball. "I heard from your guards nobody's allowed inside, so I stormed the castle to rescue Kirby. But that's not him up there, is it?"

"That's none of your business!" the King shouts, brandishing a hammer. "Besides, I don't even have Kirby! Now scram!"

"Then what are you...is that darkness you're using?" Ray remarks, stepping to the side to get a better look at the machine. "Aren't you on a...what was it...five time possession streak? Four of which were from beings of darkness?"

"So what!?" Dedede argues, stepping back in the puffball's path. "There's no way some chump's taking over me this time! Or any other time if this works!"

"You say that now..." Ray chides, inching to the side again. He spots one of the needles on the device's readout start to spin rapidly, initiating a swordfight with the needle directly beneath it. "Um..."

"Hey, this still ain't your business!" the penguin insists, stepping over again and pulling his hammer back. He slams it on the ground, Ray just barely backpedaling out of the way in time.

"Daidaidai..."

"So get outta here before I clobber ya!"

"I'm pretty sure-"

"One more word outta that mouth and you're-"

"**SIR!**"

"WHAT!?" Dedede exclaims, angrily spinning around, ready to pulverize the Waddle Dee that interrupted, only to gawk as the machine starts to overload, sparks coming from the base. The darkness it's creating starts getting out of control as the poor Waddle Dee within wreathes in pain, starting to take on a darker palette.

Ray wisely backs up out of the room and closes the door just as the device explodes, a large thud coming from the other side. He peeks inside mere moments later. Dedede lies just to the side of the door, the penguin groaning as he gets up. Mechanical scraps are strewn about the room, other Waddle Dees are scattered along the sides, most knocked out, and a crazed, darkness-infused Waddle Dee sits on all fours in the middle where the machine was. This particular one is very dark gray in coloration, with a manic look in its eyes as it glances around the room, dark energy still sparking from its body.

"What...what happened to it?" Dedede warily wonders. The dark Dee's eyes snap to the King, growling as claws made of solid darkness spring from its hands and feet. The penguin brings his hammer to bear just in time to block a lunge from the corrupted Waddle Dee, flinging it back to the center of the room. He gives it no time to try again, running up to hammer it into the ground, only for the Dee to hop to the side and deliver an upwards slice to the King's face.

Ray casually steps back into the room and starts looking about. "Popcorn, popcorn..." he mumbles, eyes eventually falling on a miraculously unopened family-sized bag of nachos on the left side of the room. "Next best thing!" he states, running over to it.

Dedede manages to inhale the darkened Dee, spitting it out at the wall opposite of where the cyan puffball is headed. The feral minion hits it hard, but immediately jumps back to the fight, wings of darkness sprouting from its back as it flies up and attempts to divebomb the penguin. He smacks the beast out of the sky with a might swing of his hammer, which again the Dee recovers quickly from.

A sharp ripping noise interrupts the fight. Both King and beast turn to look at Ray, who's just opened the bag. The puffball stares back, mainly at the darkened Dee, who growls in anger. Carefully, Ray reaches in for a chip, pulls it out, and holds it out. The corrupted minion quickly pounces towards him and, quickly getting his parasol out, Ray tosses the chip skyward and opens his weapon, hiding behind it. The Dee jumps up and snags the nacho from the air, landing in front of the umbrella.

Cautiously, Ray peeks out from his cover to see the dark beast happily chewing away at the chip, despite having no mouth. He smiles and drops his guard, reaching into the bag and offering another nacho, which the Dee quickly absorbs.

"What's the big idea here!?" Dedede demands, stomping towards the two.

"Poor guy was just hungry, I guess." Ray gives the darkened Dee another chip. "By the way, why's there a bag of nachos in here anyway?

"They were his favorite snack." one of the conscious Waddle Dees replies. "He said he'd volunteer if we got him another bag."

"Huh. Neat."

"I don't care what that thing eats!" the King shouts. "It needs to go before it takes us all out!"

"Hey, you're the one who did this to him in the first place!" Ray replies, stepping in between Dedede and dark Dee. "Least you could do is show a little compassion."

"Compassion nothing! Do you have any idea what those things do!? They only want us gone!"

"Gooey was the same as them. Probably. He wanted to help!"

"That's different!"

"So is this!"

"That does it!" Dedede raises the hammer. "I'm clobbering both of ya!"

Ray holds his parasol to his right, opening it and letting himself get pulled out of the way of the penguin's mighty blow. The darkened Dee dodges the opposite way, once more bearing his claws. Ray quickly picks up a star that formed from the hammer's heavy impact and twirls it around on his umbrella a bit while the corrupt Waddle Dee jumps up onto the King and slices him up. Dedede gets a grip on the beast after only a second, tossing him away, but gets hit from behind by Ray batting the star at him. The puffball then jumps over the penguin as he tries to slide into him, the feral minion dashing by and clawing the King's back. Once Dedede gets up, he tries spinning about to hit both of his opponents, but Ray and the Dee simply hop up above him and stay aloft until the King gets dizzy, both diving down on him and delivering a solid hit each.

This continues in a similar vein for a good minute before Dedede finally collapses. Once Ray makes sure he's down for the count, he and the darkened Dee dance about in celebration, ending with the Waddle Dee doing a one-handed handstand on Ray's open parasol. The two separate and look at each other.

"Well, that was fun." Ray gently pats the corrupted Dee on the head, both looking happy. "Pretty sure you don't wanna stay here with this ball of nasty. Wanna come with me instead?"

The dark Waddle Dee nods eagerly.

"Alrighty! Now, um..." Ray turns toward one of the normal Dees still conscious. "Hey, does anyone know his name?"

One of the minions starts to speak up, but hesitates a bit. "Uh...we don't have names."

"Wait, really?"

"No...King Dedede can't tell us apart, so we don't even bother with names."

"Wow. That's...kinda sad." Ray turns to his new companion. "Hum...how about Waddle Zero?"

The dark Dee nods again.

"Alright, Waddle Zero it is. Now come on, we've gotta get going!" Ray runs to the door, the newly-christened Waddle Zero following behind. The puffball stops at the door and turns back to the other Dees, most of which are starting to get up and gather around their King. "Make sure Daidaidai doesn't mess with darkness again! We don't want a repeat of this! Or basically any time he gets posessed!"

Some Waddle Dees nod hesitantly as the puffball and dark beast make their exit. The two meet little resistance on their way out, the guards who've recovered not wanting to mess with the cyan puffball again, especially with the strange feral Waddle Dee by his side. Even the two Sir Kibbles by the entrance stand aside to let them pass as they exit the castle proper, running off into the distance.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**And off he goes, a new friend in tow. Now, before moving on, I wanna mention a couple of things.**_

_**First, Ray and Waddle Zero here weren't originally my characters. They're from others from this one role playing topic on a forum that closed down long ago. I was an active participator, though I think my contributions led to the whole topic, and some other RP topics, losing steam fast. I was young, new to the RPing scene, made mistakes, learned from them, and moved on. Didn't help that life got in the way and I stopped visiting the forum altogether after a time.**_

_**Anyways, after departing, I kept thinking back to that one specific RP, because I was, and still am, a pretty big Kirby fan. When I got back into a different RP, in a completely different place and a much more free form style, I went and played Ray here, and later Zero, because I figured it was fine for me to do so, given everyone else moved on from it already. Character development happened and, over time, the two evolved into pretty different people, wholly separate from who they originally were. If anyone from the old forum sees this and remembers those times, I hope you can forgive me for using your guys this way.**_

_**The general plot for this specific story stems from the plot of that one RP as well, though as it never actually finished, everything past a certain point is going to be improvised. Some things early on were changed as well; the Mirror World being in danger, for instance, happened after the Kirby kidnapping was resolved, but here they're happening simultaneously. And you can expect some other, later RP plots I participated in to show up in other stories if I manage to continue this potential series past this first story here.**_

_**Whew, that was longer than I expected. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading this regardless of my life story! Next up, the Halberd!**_


	3. The Train Is Late!

**Chapter 2: The Train Is Late!**

_DDD's was a bust. Kinda expected as much, honestly. He doesn't really care about Kirby unless there's food involved somehow, so why would he know where the little hero is? Still, it wasn't a total waste; I learned he was tampering with darkness. Like that's ever going to go well. Seriously, #1 rule; DO NOT MESS WITH EVIL POWERS. Why don't people get that?_

_I also got a companion. That darkness infected a Waddle Dee. Also might've reverted him to a thoughtless beast somehow, from the way he was acting. DDD tried killing the poor thing, which of course I stopped. They're apparently nameless, which must really suck for them, so I took it upon myself to give the little guy a name; Waddle Zero. But I'm just gonna call him Zero since that's a bit of a mouthful._

_Next up, MK's place. The Halberd's docked in its usual spot down by Orange Ocean. They're prepping for war, so it only makes sense that MK's there, making sure everything's ready at a moment's notice. Might have to fight my way through his crew to meet with him if things go south, but with Zero by my side, I'm feeling confident._

_It's normally quite a walk, but they just recently finished the Harukaze Line, so we're taking the train there! Or, well, close to there, and we walk the rest of the way. Really wish they could've finished the Kine Marin Rail too. Anyway, write ya soon as we get done with the ship!_

_**Ray**_

* * *

On board a moving train, a cyan puffball finishes writing in his journal and puts it away. Nearby, a dark Waddle Dee is staring out the window, watching the scenery roll past. Lots of passengers are staring at the unusual rider, some wary, some curious.

One green puffball goes up to the duo and takes a seat next to Ray and strikes up a conversation. "So what's with that Waddle Dee?"

"Oh, Daidaidai did a dumb and decided to disturb the darkness."

"Really? After all those other times?"

"I know, right? You'd think he'd learn by now."

"But why this guy and not him?"

"He was inside the thing that disturbed the darkness. They say volunteer, but that's kinda dubious."

"Ah. Least he's getting smart."

"After that incident? No way."

"But he didn't get taken over this time, right?"

"Oh...yeah, fair point."

"Besides, he's probably got good intentions in mind. He did just recently go out with Kirby to help that alien guy."

"True that. But I can't think of why messing with darkness would be a good idea."

"Maybe he wanted some secret weapon on his side for whatever's in the Mirror World."

"Oh, like Gooey! Yeah, I can see what you mean now. Y'know, he probably could've done that if he didn't immediately try to clobber the poor guy."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Though I guess Zero struck first..."

"That's this guy's name?"

"Yup."

"Isn't one of those big bad guys Kirby beat named Zero, too?"

"Yup. They're dark, he's dark, so why not Waddle Zero?"

"Oh, that makes more sense. But I don't think King Dedede's entirely in the wrong there if Waddle Zero attacked first."

"Guess so. Still, what else did he expect to happen?"

"Don't know. Oh, there's my stop."

"Hey, that's my stop too!"

"Really? What a coincidence."

"Yeah. So, where you heading after this?"

"Ripple Field. I'm meeting with my family there."

"Neat. I'm heading out to Orange Ocean."

"Going to enlist in the Meta-Knights?"

"Nah, I'm just off to meet a knight."

"...don't use that pun in front of him."

"No promises."

The train rolls to a stop at the Float Islands station. The doors open, some passengers getting off and others getting on. Ray, Zero, and the green puffball are among those heading out, and the three walk together for a little while.

"Never got your name, by the way. Mine's Ray."

"Alex. White Hero Alex."

"That actually your name?"

"Eh...not really. Just Alex. But we decided our family name should be Hero, and we each picked a color for a middle name."

"But...you're green."

"Yeah, but lightning's white."

"Electricity can come in lots of colors."

"Not lightning."

"Lightning too!"

"Oh well. It's been this way for a while. It'd be weird to change it now. Besides, I like how it sounds."

"Including the whole Middle, Last, First thing?"

"Yes."

"You're weird."

"Isn't everyone?"

"Guess so."

The three walked along for a while, shooting the breeze. Eventually they said their goodbyes and went split off, Alex running off to Ripple Fields and Ray and Zero continuing on to Orange Ocean.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**Oh boy, was not expecting this to be chapter 2. I originally planned for this to start right at the Halberd, but then I remembered the Pupupu Train and figured it would be a nice addition. Then I figured I'd do a little foreshadowing, and then the scene kinda wrote itself. I didn't feel like this chapter would flow smoothly from here to the Halberd, so I decided to just make this its own thing.**_

_**Anyways, here's the obligatory self insert. He's got his own thing going on, but this is Ray's story right now so Alex will be out of focus for a while. He'll be back sometime soon, though. And before you start hating him for being just like any other self insert, he probably changes the most as the story goes, so he won't just be a self insert past this story.**_

_**Yes, what he says about the name is true. I've had many a chance to change my username to GreenHeroAlex, but I've had WhiteHero for so long that it just doesn't feel right to me. Been through a lot of grief about the name, too, but it doesn't really bother me.**_

_**Anyways, that's it for this time. Next up, the Halberd. For real!**_


	4. Obligatory Met-A-Knight Joke

**Chapter 3: Obligatory Met-A-Knight Joke**

* * *

_Just a quick update; I found another lead on the train in case MK doesn't work out. This green guy named Alex is heading out to Ripple Fields to meet with family, and that's close to Orange Ocean. If MK can't tell me anything about where Kirby might be, I can just go see what Alex and his folks are doing, maybe get them to help search._

_Seeing the Halberd's docking bay makes me a little nervous, honestly. MK takes things much more seriously than DDD, and his crew probably shares that sentiment. I know I said it'll be no problem with Zero by my side, but I'm still hoping we don't have to fight through to MK. Well, I can't put it off forever. Wish me luck!_

* * *

Ray puts away his journal and stares ahead at a large base in the distance, the Halberd's docking site. The dome is currently closed, indicating it hasn't taken off yet.

"No sense in waiting any longer. Come on, Zero, let's go!" The cyan puffball runs off towards the site, a darkened Waddle Dee following close behind.

* * *

As the duo get to the compound's entrance, its big dome starts opening, revealing the Halberd ready to take off.

"Ah jeez, really? Good thing we took the train." Ray gets his parasol out, pointing it at the battleship. "No time to waste! Zero, come on!" The feral Dee responds by forming his wings and taking to the air, following close behind Ray as the puffball opens his parasol and lets the wind carry him off.

The two make it onto the deck with plenty of time to spare, though before they can do anything else a shrill voice sounds out over the intercoms. "Intruders on the main deck! All on deck, intercept them!"

Almost instantly, the area around the duo is swarmed with various baddies, most of which don't look pleased at their rest being interrupted. "Er...can't we just talk this out?" Ray suggests cautiously. A Javelin Knight fires at him in response, which the puffball sidesteps. "Okay then. Zero, try not to go too hard. These guys need spare lives too."

Waddle Zero springs into action, slicing the enemies nearest to him as Ray barrels through those in front, using his umbrella as a riot shield. The two start making their way to the bridge, persevering through the relentless onslaught of the Meta-Knights.

* * *

"Bad day bad day bad day!"

Ray crashes through the door to the bridge, interrupting what appears to be a sparring session between Meta Knight and a lookalike, clad in white with a gold trim and pure white eyes. The puffball quickly dives to the side, just as a yellow mechanical crustacean smashes through the door, quickly stomping into the room. Zero comes up behind it and tries to claw off one of its wing-like boosters.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Meta Knight exclaims.

"Sorry Lord Meta Knight," Captain Vul replies, manning the controls. "These two were going through all our men! To think they'd be able to lead Heavy Lobster here..."

"Call it off! We don't need it rampaging before launch!"

The crew at the controls give a salute and get to work. Before long, Heavy Lobster powers down, letting Ray sit down for a breather. Zero continues trying to dismantle the machine, up until the puffball pulls out a bag of nachos and opens it, the corrupted Dee immediately by his side to partake in snacking.

Meta Knight curtly approaches the duo. "Why are you invading my ship?"

Ray looks up from the bag. "Oh, hey MK. We just wanted to know if you knew where Kirby might be. Really didn't wanna push through your whole army just to get to you, honest!"

"Kirby? ...hm. I was just about to send my apprentice out for the same reason."

"Apprentice?" Ray asks, confused. He looks at the Meta Knight lookalike, who's just staring the two down from afar. "Didn't know you took apprentices."

"He shows...exemplary talent, and would not back down until I took him in."

"Huh. You didn't do the whole take him on if he wins against you thing?"

"I did. I lost, soundly."

"Whazza-huh?" Ray looked thoroughly confused. "I know Kirby beat you, twice, but some random person who shows up out of the blue and specifically asks for your training? Why would he even need training then?"

"...you'll see momentarily." Meta Knight starts walking away. "I fear rescuing Kirby will be quite dangerous. For that reason, I feel it necessary to see if you are up to the task. All of you. Meta, these two will be your sparring partners instead."

"Meta?" The cyan puffball stands up, even more confused. "Is...is that really his name?"

Wordlessly, the white-clad swordsman spreads his cape, turning it into wings similar to Meta Knight's own, and dashes towards the duo.

"Wait, we're doing this now-YIPE!" Ray squeaks out as he barely ducks under Meta's sword. The puffball quickly slides forward intending to trip the lookalike up, but Meta simply hops over and drives his sword down onto Zero. The darkened Dee hops back out of the way and retaliates with a horizontal swipe of his claws, the white swordsman barely blocking and leaping backwards.

Ray rushes from behind Meta, parasol open in front of him, but the swordsman sidesteps without even looking and catches the puffball with a quick slice. Zero unleashes a flurry of claw swipes once in range, forcing Meta to defend against them. Ray regains his footing from the previous blow and tries to dive into the lookalike from above, but again Meta backs off before it connects. The puffball tries to follow up with some more divebombs, but only gets rewarded with a swift upwards slash after Meta dodges the second. Zero again closes the distance and attempts to attack, from behind this time, and actually succeeds in landing a hit. Meta backs off again, and gets into a defensive stance, meeting Zero's next charge head on.

As the two clash, Ray elects to sit back and observe for a bit. He notices that Meta opts to guard against Zero's blows more often than not, which gets the puffball thinking. After a bit, he tries slamming his parasol hard onto the ground to create a projectile star, then lobbing it at the white-clad swordsman, who gets out of the way as soon as it's thrown. Ray comes to a realization, complete with a lightbulb lighting up over his head. He whistles sharply, drawing the attention of both Meta and Zero, the latter of whom rushes over. The puffball opens his parasol and the feral Dee hops on, while the lookalike realizes what's going on and rushes over to the duo.

"You spin me right round baby right round~" Ray starts quickly twirling the parasol, Zero hanging on with his feet and extending his hands and claws out, the two creating a makeshift buzzsaw. Meta goes in low for a strike, below the spinning razor, but Zero quickly adjusts their angle to strike the swordsman's blade, knocking it out of his hand! Ray stumbles forward driving the team attack into the lookalike as a result, his singing getting interrupted as he tries to regain his balance, stumbling all the way across the room and taking Meta with them. Just before they hit the wall, Ray hops up and, resuming his singing ("Watch out here we come~!"), closes his parasol, spinning himself and Zero, now hanging onto the tip, around one last time, delivering one last grand slash to the swordsman's face!

After the three touch down on their feet, Meta's mask breaks in two, revealing underneath a pale puffball, white as snow, with a neatly groomed (also white) handlebar mustache. Ray tries valiantly to hold in his laughter, but fails just as the white swordsman covers himself in his cape and storms out of the room. Zero's just confused as to why his opponent left.

"Perhaps you do have what it takes." Meta Knight admits as moves to the center of the bridge. "I certainly did not expect such skill from the two of you."

"Hahaha...ah, that's hilarious." Ray turns to the original swordsman as he approaches. "Oh, hey. You got a good deal there if he's got what I think he's got."

"Perhaps. But he won't be accompanying me onto the battlefield."

"Right, you wanna send him off to find Kirby. Which means you know where he is, and why aren't you going instead?"

"I only know where he might be. And I need to be present for when we confront the darkness beyond the Mirror."

"Right, yeah, that's a thing. But still, mind if I tag along with him then?"

"Of course. I doubt I could stop you regardless, if you are so determined as to fight through my ship just to speak to me."

"Ah, well...yeah." Ray blushes, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about your men, by the way. Might've took a few lives from them."

The caped swordsman simply nods and turns away, walking up to the window.

"By the way," Ray starts as he gets the bag of nachos out again, "is his name really Meta? Because if so, it's gonna be pretty awkward holding a conversation with both of you in the same room."

"It is the only name he gave me."

"Ah. I'll ask him later, I guess."

* * *

Sometime later, after Meta returns to the bridge, Ray speaks up. "Right, so now that the gang's all here, where are we heading?" The white swordsman turns to glare at the cyan puffball.

"We know Kirby was last seen in Yogurt Yard. The inhabitants there are also behaving erratically, attacking all who come near. The Meta-Knights could not investigate that area because of this. That is why I'm sending you, Meta. Ray and Waddle Zero will be accompanying you."

"My Lord," Meta interrupts, "you cannot be serious! They merely got lucky in our fight, they cannot hold their own otherwise!"

"Wait, where have I heard that voice before?"

"On the contrary, my student, it is you who failed to keep up with Zero. And Ray figured out your talent, using it against you."

"I know what I saw. He lost his balance! He would have lost right there if not for that!"

"The accent, the accent...come on, I should know this..."

"Or perhaps he knew Zero ran on instinct, which you cannot read, and let him upset the move's balance."

"Don't put your own spin on the situation!"

"AHA!" Ray exclaims at the top of his lungs. "You're Eric, that guy who voiced Meta Knight in Right Back At Ya!"

Meta facepalms. "I left that life behind, you imbecile. I am only Meta."

Meta Knight can't help but chuckle a little at the irony before him, which makes his lookalike bring his other hand to his face. "Regardless of what happened, I am sending you three together. You're all capable enough to handle the enemy there, I'm sure. We would drop you off on the way to the Mirror, but due to Heavy Lobster being unleashed, we will have to make repairs first."

"Oh, right...yeah, sorry about that."

"...very well. We'll depart right away." Meta turns and makes for the broken door. "You two, let's go."

"Right away, sir!" Ray salutes and follows the white swordsman out, Zero following behind him. Once outside, all three take to the skies in their own way, heading due west for the mountainous Yogurt Yard.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**And here we are, with the character I actually used in that Kirby RP; Meta! Originally he was just a Meta Knight fanboy who fancied himself a detective as well, with none of the special properties. Despite him being my first, he ended up being one of the least developed characters in my roster for a long time, just being "that guy with a sword".**_

**_The name Eric I just made up while writing the Kirby: Right Back At Ya! Joke, taking from Eric Stuart, the actual English voice of Meta Knight. Love that Mexican Meta Knight, man. _** _**As for the show itself being present in this story, Kirby got famous enough for people to want to make a cartoon about him, in this universe at least.**_

_**As always, hope you enjoyed reading! Next up, the unlikely trio investigate what exactly is going on in Yogurt Yard.**_


	5. Illuminating Friendship

**Chapter 4: Illuminating Friendship**

* * *

_Good ol' MK. Never lets you down when you need him. Had to fight through the Meta-Knights to get to him, and had an uncomfortably close shave with Heavy Lobster, but boy did it pay off. He told us Kirby was last seen in Yogurt Yard and people around there were going crazy. Foul play, I say. We're on our way there now._

_And I'm tagging along with someone this time; Meta, MK's apprentice! That was certainly a surprise. We fought it out first, though, and boy oh boy seeing the future is a neat power! Just barely scraped through in the end because I kinda messed up my brand new team attack with Zero. It was still pretty cool, though, despite fumbling it. I think I'll call it the Para-slicer._

_Anyway, we're getting close now. Write in ya again once we find out what's going on here!_

_**Ray**_

* * *

Meta glanced at Ray's journal as he wrote in it, looking a little surprised. It's only when the puffball closes and returns the book that the swordsman speaks up.

"You're not mentioning my real name?"

"Nah. You said it yourself, you wanna leave that behind. Not sure why, your Meta Knight performance was on point in my opinion, but I'll respect it."

"...thank you. But I cannot see the future. You figured it out yourself, did you not?"

"Yeah, but honestly? Mind reading is much more exploitable than limited precognition. Word gets out that you read minds, people would start not thinking about what they're doing when fighting you, or take stuff like flails where they don't have to think about where to hit. Future sight is much harder to plan against, and they'll never see it coming when it turns out their future-proofing has absolutely no effect on you."

"...you're smarter than you appear."

"Thanks, but I'm just trying to look out for my friend."

"...hm. Perhaps we will get along after all."

After a brief nacho break at Zero's insistence, the trio continue onward into the mountainous Yogurt Yard.

* * *

"That's the third one!" Ray exclaims as the trio come across yet another cave-in.

"Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Three times..." Meta thoughtfully utters.

"Come to think of it, we didn't actually see anyone here yet. And MK said they're acting unusual..."

"Thus, someone doesn't want us inside the mountains."

"I dunno about you, but I sure don't wanna go looking for the one opening they missed." Ray steps back from the closed cave, getting a nacho out. "Zero, mind digging us a way in?"

The darkened Dee snatches up the chip, nodding after absorbing it. He trots up to the cave-in and starts clawing away at it, cutting up the rocks making it up.

"Just how sharp are those claws?"

"I dunno. Maybe the rocks are weak?"

Meta steps up and tries cutting a rock open to test Ray's theory. It's not very effective...

"So much for that."

"Was he holding back against me before?"

"Probably. It was just a quick sparring session, after all. Or maybe swords are actually super durable. I've never actually seen one break, ever."

"...that is quite odd."

"Yeah, a lot of this world doesn't make much sense when you think about it."

Ray moves closer to start brushing aside the rubble as Zero continues to break down the blockade. Meta simply stands watch over the two, looking out for ambushes, though it's not too much longer before the path is clear for all of them. The caverns within are pitch black.

"I don't believe it's supposed to be this dark." Meta mentions as he steps up to the cave.

"You bring a light?" Ray questions, peering into the darkness. The white swordsman responds by shaking his head, which the puffball pouts at. "Spoilsport."

"...this isn't the time for jokes. We need to proceed."

"How did you...right, yeah, already forgot. But no light isn't a problem!"

"You had one the entire time?"

"Better! Behold my Raynbow!" The cyan puffball starts glowing brightly, in all the colors of the rainbow. Zero recoils with a hiss as the light reaches him, causing Ray to cast a glance at the dark beast and stop his lightshow when he sees the light burning his companion. "What the!? Agh, sorry Zero, I didn't know it would hurt you!"

Meta watches as the puffball comforts his wounded pet, the latter whimpering in pain. "I guess your second ability is off limits, then."

"Yeah, guess so..." Ray sadly admits. "Sorry, buddy."

"Regardless, we still need to proceed, light or no light." The white-clad swordsman starts walking inside the cavern. "Stay alert. Who knows what lurks ahead."

"Can't we take five to make sure Zero's okay first?"

"...I suppose we can. Best to be fully prepared."

"Thanks." Ray lifts Zero's arm up, carefully walking him over to the side of the entrance. "I, uh...I don't suppose you could-"

Before Ray finishes, Meta spreads his wings and takes to the sky, quickly flying out of sight. The puffball smiles a little, and after checking again on Zero, sits down and gets out his journal.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**Sorry about the short chapter. The way the story's structured, cutting this one off here makes the most sense. Next one will have more, I promise.**_

_**Anyway, another of Ray's capabilities is revealed; prismatic light! And it's super effective against darkness, who would've thought? This was absolutely not something the original iteration of Ray had, but rather something I added as I fleshed the character out. Why does he have this? You'll just have to wait and see for yourself, I suppose.**_

_**As always, hope you enjoyed! Next up, the Star Warriors trek into darkness!**_


	6. Questioning Resolve

**Chapter 5: Questioning Resolve**

* * *

_Okay, quick note; DO NOT USE THAT RAINBOW GLOW THINGIE AROUND ZERO. Turns out it burns him. Really bad. Meta's out getting some food to heal him._

_In other news, Yogurt Yard's deeper sections are sealed up. And the caves are unusually dark. Something's down there. Probably whatever kidnapped Kirby. Maybe a vengeful mole? ...nah, they can't make the caverns pitch black._

_Thinking more about that rainbow glow thingie, I'm still not sure why I even have it. I used to think it's just a fancy Light ability, but if it literally burns dark-infused beings? No way it can just be that. No idea how I got it, or when. Furthest back I can remember, I've had it. Am I secretly some sort of anti-darkness superweapon given life? Did I absorb a superweapon without knowing? Do I actually have amnesia?_

_Wait...this means I'm gonna be important to beating this thing, aren't I? So much for sitting on the sidelines once Kirby's rescued. Might have to go with him to finish off the darkness. Or maybe Kirby IS the darkness. I don't even know. This whole thing is stressing me out._

_I've never been hero material. Never have, never will be. Back when DDD stole all of Dreamland's food, I could've done something about it. Nope, sat back and waited for someone else to take care of it. When all dreams disappeared, I could've at least gone to check what was up with the Fountain of Dreams. Nope, waited for Kirby to take care of it. Dark Matter invaded, all three times I didn't involve myself. Meta Knight finished the Halberd...well, that one I didn't even know about until after the fact. But every time Dreamland needed a hero, I didn't step up, despite being right there most of the time, able to do something about it. Why did I even bother doing something this time? It led to me screwing up and severely hurting a friend I only just today made. He isn't even a friend, just a Waddle Dee hopelessly corrupted by Dark Matter, why should I even care? I just don't know._

_Positive thoughts. Sidetracking thoughts. I really wanna call all darkness Dark Matter now. Don't know why. It just feels right. And Zero is my friend. Always will be. Hopefully. This was just a one time thing. Hopefully. I don't even know if the Dark Matter left him with any spare lives, but I'm never gonna find out because I won't hurt him again and I won't just stand by and let him get hurt._

_Maybe that's my motivation. For my friends. I fight for my friends. Yeah, that's it. I won't let anything bad happen to my friends, so long as I'm alive and kicking. Well, I won't let them run out of lives. That much I'll make sure of. I'm still not hero material, but I can at least look out for my friends while they take the hero role. If Meta decides to continue on to face the Dark Matter once we rescue Kirby, whenever that'll happen. I think Zero would just go with me wherever. So if Meta plays hero, I'll be there to support him._

_META HURR_

* * *

Ray drops his journal in surprise as Meta finally returns, landing right in front of him. "Gah! M-Meta!"

The swordsman walks up to Zero, still resting from their earlier accident, and holds out a big tomato with an M on it. "Took longer than I thought it would to find one."

The darkened Dee absorbs it after a bit of encouragement, and his burns start healing almost immediately. He leaps up and tackles Meta to the ground, nuzzling him affectionately.

Ray smiles and picks his journal back up, writing in it briefly.

* * *

_Meta got back, Zero's fine. Entering cave now._

_**Ray**_

* * *

Not long after the trio boldly start exploring the unnaturally dark caverns, they notice a light past a bend that seems to be getting closer. Meta urges the others to hide right before the corner, waiting until the light source is practically next to them before shouting to attack, leaping from behind their cover. Ray and Zero follow suit, ending up catching a Bonkers and Fire Lion off guard. The trio make short work of the two minibosses, Meta swiftly disarming the hammer-wielding ape and Zero outmaneuvering the fiery lion while Ray takes the hammer and clobbers both opponents as his companions make opening for him.

After the two are defeated, Meta sheathes his sword and starts pondering to himself. "Two unlikely enemies, wandering together in these lightless caverns, after reports of odd behavior...patrolling, maybe."

"Why bother when all the entrances are plugged up?"

"We proved why just now."

As the ape and lion start rumbling, Zero trots up to the Fire Lion and summons his wings, extending them to cover both beasts. Moments after, the Bonkers spontaneously explodes, leaving nothing behind. His hammer, still being wielded by Ray, likewise explodes.

"Aw. I wanted to hammer some more mooks into the ground."

"They'll respawn soon, and likely report to whoever's taken over. Time is of the essence now."

"Would help if we knew where we were going. Or could see."

The dark wings around Zero suddenly catch fire and receed, revealing the darkened Dee now on fire, minus the Fire Lion that was also present. Ray's by Zero's side in an instant.

"No, not again! I didn't even...uh..." The cyan puffball only stares in bewilderment as the flaming Dee sits down, looking proud of himself. "Well, son of a gun."

The white swordsman approaches and tentatively feels the flames radiating from the Waddle Dee, petting him after a moment of not getting burned. "Hm. Interesting. He seems to have taken on the Fire ability."

"Like Kirby? ...wait, does that mean he can use other abilities, too?"

"We'll see when we get the chance. For now, we must make haste."

"Yeah, gotcha. Zero! Lead the way!"

The flaming Dee nods and rushes forth, Ray and Meta keeping pace behind him.

* * *

Zero skids to a halt as he reaches a well-lit chamber within the depths of Yogurt Yard. Ray and Meta stop a little in front of him, surveying the area. In the middle of the chamber sits a large beachball colored red, blue, and white, spinning rapidly. Inside is a pink puffball being tossed around by the ball's rotation. Standing on top is an adorable lavender being with big eyes, a bow tie, and a red and blue two-pronged hat, looking down into the ball.

"Oy vey. This joker."

"WHO SAID THAT!?" the jester shouts, looking up from his prisoner. "...who are you bozos?"

Ray steps forward. "We're just a roaming band of adventurers here to save the real hero. So why don't you save us the trouble, Marx, and let Kirby there go?"

Marx simply laughs at the request. "How about no? It's not like you can defeat me anyway!"

"Are you sure about that?" The cyan puffball points his parasol at the jester. "Last I heard Kirby beat you soundly, and your death explosion shattered Galactic Nova into millions of pieces."

"That was a fluke!" Marx exclaims, angrily stomping on his ball. "Kirby had the help of Nova himself! The traitor never wanted me to succeed, so he powered up that annoying pink blob to my level! But now, NOW there's no way for any of you to defeat me! I have all the power, **and you have none!**"

Suddenly, yellow wing-like appendages burst out from the jester's back, prismatic hexagons eminating from its edges. Marx gains a manic expression as he shrinks the prison ball down, lightly crushing the pink puffball within, and sending it flying against the far wall. An insane laughter echoes throughout the chamber.

Meta and Zero step forward, ready to fight, but Ray slides in front of both, turning to face them. "You two go get Kirby. I'm the one who studied his adventures, I can keep this joker busy long enough."

"I'm the one who can see his attacks before they happen." Meta argues back. "I can fight better than-"

"And that's the problem. If he's telling the truth, there's no winning. There's only surviving. And let's face it, you two are better than I in a battle. If I go down, no big deal. If you go down, huge blow to us."

Meta stares back in silence, eventually relenting and stepping back. "If you say so." He retreats to the entrance for now.

Zero stands by Ray's side, but gets pushed back by the puffball's parasol. "You too, Zero. I'll be fine. Just follow Meta for now." The flaming Dee hesitates for a few, eventually nodding and running away.

"**Are you done yet?**" Marx impatiently asks.

"Yeah, thanks for waiting." Ray begins strutting forward, confidence behind every step. "Just had to settle who got dibs on beating you."

"**Oh, this is a laugh! You know you can't face the power of a god!**"

"Are you sure it was Kirby getting powered up and not just you being brought down?"

"**Even if that IS the case, it doesn't matter! I've got a new source of power!**" The jester's eyes come together to form a singular eye, its red gaze falling upon the cyan puffball.

"...I have made a grave mistake here."

* * *

Meta and Zero sneak into the boss chamber, the dark Dee having ditched his fire trait for the time being. As the swordsman read, Marx is currently facing away from them, sending sparks of ice at Ray, who's zipping left and right to dodge them all. Meta motions for Zero to follow, sneaking around the edge of the arena, while Ray starts slowly circling around at the same pace while evading an eye laser to cover for the swordsman. Once over to where the beach ball landed, Meta starts trying to pry it open from its top with his sword, Zero doing the same with his claws. Ray, meanwhile, takes to the air as the chasing laser ends, diving towards Marx and driving the tip of his parasol into his eye. The jester recoils, singular eye returning to his normal two eyes, and glares at the persistent puffball.

"**GRRRAH! DIE ALREADY!**"

"Nah, don't feel like it."

Marx teleports next to Ray, letting loose boomeranging cutters in his general direction. The puffball opens his parasol and zips out of the way, then again as the jester warps and sends more cutters out. The third time, Ray manages to bounce one of the cutters in an odd trajectory, hitting Marx in the face. The jester retaliates by fusing his eyes again and shooting a stream of red arrows at the puffball, chasing him all around the room in an attempt to hit him. This leads to the one-eyed jester hitting a wall after Ray lures him into it, barely sliding out of the way. Marx's face goes back to normal as he vanishes, Ray just barely dodging as the jester jumps out of the ground moments later. The puffball then manages to get a grip on the wall to keep himself from getting sucked into a black hole Marx summons, then bounces away an ice bomb dropped above him. Marx drops some seeds into the ground, which sprout into thorny vines, Ray looking at one worriedly as the jester reappears.

"Aren't these supposed to go away?"

"**You think I'm just going to let you keep running away from me forever?**"

"Good point. But I don't need to run anymore."

"**What do you-ack!**"

Marx gets interrupted by a block of ice hitting him dead on. Turning to look at where it was launched from, he pales as Ice Kirby stands confidently, free from the ball. Behind Kirby are Meta and Zero, clashing sword and claw to make another star for the puffball to use as ammo.

"**...nope. Not dealing with all of you at once.**" The jester rears up and takes off, punching a hole in the ceiling and breaking all the way through to the surface.

Ray runs up to Kirby, Meta, and Zero, a smile on his face. "Team celebration dance?"

"Okay!"

"If we must."

Zero nods eagerly.

The quartet dance in victory, ending with a nice little pyramid pose, Meta and Zero holding up Kirby holding up Ray. As they separate, Kirby walks to the center of the room, where the hole was made, looking straight up. Before much longer, the Warpstar descends into the chamber, the pink puffball grabbing on.

"Come on! We need to make sure he's not causing any more trouble!" Kirby says, waving the others over.

Ray hesitates, looking over to the proper entrance. "Eh...I'll catch up with you guys. I need to...make sure Yogurt Yard goes back to-hey, let go!"

Meta drags the cyan puffball over to the Warpstar, tossing him on. "You're not getting out of this that easily. Not after what we've already done."

The swordsman grabs onto the Warpstar, Zero hopping on afterward. The four then take off, flying out into the open sky. Off in the distance, Marx is seen fleeing the scene, retreating to the Dimensional Mirror. The band of heroes jet off to pursue him, following him straight into the Mirror World.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**Whew, this took a while. Writing isn't easy, folks. Anyways, lots going on here, but honestly not much I can say to add to it.**_

_**Zero's Copy Ability substitute was actually something I came up with while writing this chapter. It just made sense in my mind; Gooey, another being made of Dark Matter, was able to copy Kirby's copying prowess, so why not Zero?**_

_**Yes, Kirby can talk in this universe. Or at the very least everyone present can understand him. I'm just hoping I get his and Marx's personalities down right, honestly.**_

_**Sorry again for the wait. Hopefully next chapter won't take so long. Hope you enjoyed anyways! Next stop, the Mirror World!**_


	7. Chasing Reflections

**Chapter 6: Chasing Reflections**

* * *

_Good news, bad news, and worse news. Good news is we found and rescued Kirby! Marx had him locked up in the depths of Yogurt Yard. Apparently the bugger made a deal with Dark Matter, because that eye he made looked VERY 02-like. Managed to keep him distracted long enough for Meta and Zero to go free our hero._

_Bad news, Marx got away. Turned tail and ran away to the Dimensional Mirror. Kirby's in pursuit as I write._

_Worse news, I got dragged into going with him! I know I just wrote all that about accompanying Meta if he played hero, but I didn't actually mean it! I LIKE staying in the background!_

_Maybe I still can, actually. Kirby's our main hero here, Meta, Zero, and I are just helpers. I could just provide support from the sidelines or something. Maybe I can purify the Mirror World while the others are out beating the big bad._

_Oh, right, Mirror World's not looking too great. It's...I don't know how exactly to put it in words. Dark? Not the whole absence-of-light type of dark, sun's still shining down, but everything feels...wrong. It's just weird. Things are grayed out yet still their normal colors, the sun's rays aren't providing their usual comfort but are still warm, the air isn't refreshing at all...it just screams unnatural and wrong. I know this isn't how it usually is, too; Kirby's commented on it being different. Definitely need to stop whoever's behind this before they can spread this to Dreamland._

_Gotta go, Kirby's just about caught up with Marx. Write ya again when we've canned him._

_**Ray**_

* * *

Ray puts away his journal and gives a wave to Meta, who's currently holding him by the foot as the four continue traveling on the Warpstar. The swordsman hauls him up back onto the star as soon as the book's gone.

"I still can't believe I let you talk me into that."

"Had to make a save just in case something goes wrong!"

"...I'm not even going to bother."

The four are flying right behind Marx now, having chased the jester on an erratic path throughout the Mirror World and dodging the occasional trap left for them. They're about to ram into him when suddenly, a pink-and-white blur collides with them, slicing the Warpstar in half! As the four fall into a woodland area, they witness the jester retreat into a nearby castle, accompanied by the pink blur.

"Told you sooooo!" Ray screams out as they plummet past the treeline.

* * *

After making sure everyone's fine, the quartet trek through the woods, encountering minimal resistance on their way to the castle. Once out of the sea of trees, they come to a stop to get a good look at their destination.

"So, no ice and not made of wood...this is Carrot Castle?" Ray reasons out. "Looks brand new, considering this Dark Matter business."

Beam Kirby nods in agreement. "I don't have the map anymore. We gave everything to Mirror-World Kirby as we were leaving."

"That...doesn't really roll off the tongue well. Mind if I call him Sirby?"

"Huh?"

"You know, Shadow Kirby. S. Kirby. Sirby."

"Now isn't the time for nicknames." Meta interrupts. "We need to find whoever's responsible for this. This means finding Marx and getting him to tell us."

"He might be in Mega Titan's chambers!" Kirby exclaims as he runs to the entrance. "Every path should lead there!"

"Then let's not waste time!"

"Actually..." Ray begins, staring away from the others. "I think I can-"

"No, you're not going alone." Meta starts dragging the cyan puffball towards the entrance. "We need to remove the cause first. It's best if we stick together until then."

"But Metaaaaa!"

Zero just follows the three into the castle proper, Kirby leading the way.

* * *

Up on the castle ramparts, the quartet are stopped by a dark figure blocking the way back inside. The figure turns to the group, revealing himself to be very similar to Meta Knight, but with a scar over his left eye on his mask, and his emblem on his right shoulder as opposed to his left.

"My Lord?"

"Meta Knight? Didn't he stay behind?"

While Meta and Ray are perplexed by the familiar face, Kirby readies his wand. "That's not Meta Knight! That's Dark Meta Knight!"

His ruse ruined, the dark impostor loses his colors. He jumps back, brandishing his sword. Meta readies himself for battle, and the two swordsmen rush forward, blades clashing.

"Ooh, DARK Meta Knight! Why didn't I see that sooner? Man, all these people named Meta is gonna make things confusing."

Kirby runs forward to attack, only to be stopped by Ray stepping in front of him. "Actually, I've an idea here." the cyan puffball asserts. "How's a triple team attack sound?"

Black and white swordsmen continue clashing, seeming evenly matched, though Meta is slowly being driven back by DMK's aggressive style. Meanwhile, after hearing Ray's idea, Kirby drops his ability, the umbrella-wielding puffball picking it up with his weapon of choice to make sure it doesn't go away. Kirby then inhales Zero, spitting him out straight at the dark impostor. Meta breaks off just in time to avoid the team attack, leaving DMK to take the full force of a rapidly-spinning Zero drill to the face.

The dark foe staggers back, heavily damaged, but takes to the air before anyone can capitalize on it. He holds his sword aloft, gathering power, and all of a sudden, a mirror appears in his place, his image moving within.

"Uh, what? Kirby, did you-"

"No, this is new." Meta interrupts as three more mirror images appear from behind the original, both of the dark swordsmen within the new mirrors unmoving. "My Lord told me about the battle between Kirby and this impostor. He merely possessed my Lord's skills. He had never done anything like this."

The four mirrors dart about erratically in the sky, returning to the ground as the dark swordsman prepares to strike.

"I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say only the moving one is-" The cyan puffball is interrupted by the supposedly fake DMK landing to his side reaching out of the mirror and striking him with a downward slash. "OW! THEY'RE REAL! THEY'RE ALL REAL!"

The other three dodge the attack effortlessly, each of them launching a counterattack. Only Kirby, who was accosted by the moving image, manages to do any damage before DMK retreats into the mirror again. He repeats this attack, mirrors moving around faster this time and the swordsman striking sooner, though this time they all avoid the blows. Once more he repeats this, though this time instead of following through with another blow, the real impostor leaps out next to Zero, managing to parry the beast's claw swipe, grab him, and toss him into the mirror.

"ZERO!" Ray rushes to the dark swordsman, but is too slow to catch him as he retreats into the mirror, which darts up immediately. The three fake mirror images rush up to meet with the real one, and it flies off into the castle. The three puffballs give chase immediately.

* * *

"This isn't funny, Darkie!"

Deeper into Carrot Castle, Kirby, Meta, and Ray wander the halls, having lost the mirror carrying their beastly companion. They're all understandably upset.

"Perhaps he took the other route." Meta suggests.

"Great...so he got away."

"All these paths lead to the same place," Kirby declares hopefully, "so even if he DID take a different path, we should still catch up to him eventually!"

"I hope so. I miss my little buddy already."

As the group continues to make their way through the castle, they feel an ominous presence start to follow them. They start making haste, though for some reason Meta lags behind as they get to a one-way mirror.

After crossing, Kirby and Ray wait for their friend to pass through, only for nothing to come. Several seconds go by in silence as the two look at each other.

"Did...did they get Meta too?" Ray hesitantly asks.

"I don't know. But this is starting to get serious." Kirby responds, starting to walk away. "We need to keep going! We'll find them, I'm sure of it!"

"If you say so...but this seems a little TOO good for the bad guys. They're picking us off one by one."

"It is a little concerning. But don't lose hope! We'll get through this, they'll get through this!"

"...yeah. Can't give up just yet." Ray takes the lead as they continue onward. Kirby smiles and follows along.

* * *

The duo reach the hallway to the boss room before long. As they take a small break, Ray looks behind him, jumping in shock as a familiar foe laughs at him. Kirby quickly turns around to see just who it is.

"Marx!" the pink puffball exclaims.

The jester laughs wildly. "Aw, where's the rest of you? I was looking forward to killing them!"

"Eh. They decided you weren't worth their time, so they sent us ahead."

"**What did you just say!?**" Marx glares at the offending cyan puffball, sprouting his wing-like appendages.

"That you're an old hack! A has-been! Of all the villains we're probably gonna fight today, you're the weakest of the bunch!"

Dark lightning suddenly strikes between Ray and Kirby, sending them flying in different directions and causing the pink puffball to lose his ability. A lavender barrier springs up behind Kirby as he bounces down the hall, separating him from Ray.

"**You're first, funny boy!**"

"Jeez. Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Ray!" Kirby yells as he presses up against the magical obstacle.

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up once I'm done with this failed comedian."

Kirby wordlessly nods after a moment of hesitation. He turns around and heads off to the boss room alone.

"Okay, so-ack!" Ray barely dodges out of the way of Marx's tackle. The jester does a flip and dives into the ground, a large circular shadow appearing in the floor and moving over to the puffball. "Just straight into this, huh? No witty pre-fight banter?"

Ray dodges again as Marx flies out of the floor. "**Talking only-agh!**" Marx starts, only to get interrupted by a parasol uppercut to the face. He teleports away, only for the cyan puffball to zip over and slam the umbrella into him again.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"**That does it! I was saving this for Kirby, but you're not going to live to tell him anyway!**"

Marx starts laughing maniacally as a giant, gray gloved hand materializes to his right. Said hand appears to be radiating darkness, especially so as it tenses into a fist briefly.

Ray just stares for a moment, pointing his parasol at the darkened hand. "So, is that actually Master Hand?"

"**No, much worse! It's my own soul coming out to destroy you!**"

"But you used Master Hand as a template, right?"

"**I don't have to answer you!**"

"You...you just did. And it's not like you're letting me live, right? And we're talking despite you just trying to keep me from-"

"**Alright, fine! Yes, we used Master Hand as a base!**"

"We?"

Instead of clarifying, Marx spits out an ice bomb, sending a wave of cold all across the floor. Ray easily hops over, and zooms past the giant hand, nicking it as it attempts to grab him. Marx retreats to the sky to avoid the puffball, dropping seeds haphazardly while the hand approaches Ray, its index finger pointed in his direction. Before the hand can attack, the seeds sprout into thorny vines, some of which cut into the hand but none of them even touching Ray. The hand recoils in pain, switching to making a handgun gesture after the vines disappear, tracking the puffball as he moves. Once Marx reappears, Ray casually walks in between the two and leaps out of the way as the hand fires a finger bullet, which instead hits the jester's foot.

"This is actually pretty sad," Ray jokes, pointing his parasol at the dark hand. "because if that thing really is a part of you, you're just a terrible teammate to yourself! I mean, you literally just shot yourself in the foot! Absolutely no synergy, all the friendly fire. I bet I can win without even attacking you guys!"

Marx grunts in annoyance and splits in two, his signature black hole appearing. The hand swiftly moves behind Ray and attempts to punch him into the attack, but overextends as the puffball sidesteps and slips into the black hole.

Ray takes a couple steps forward as Marx reappears, curiously as the black hole starts to vanish instead of after. "See what I-WAUGH!" The hand blurs by right behind the puffball, slamming into the far end of the hall, while the sheer force of wind created from the speeding fist sends Ray flying into, and through, a nearby pillar.

As the hand shakes the pain off, Marx takes the time to taunt the puffball back. "**No synergy, huh? Well, what do you call that?**"

"Owie...okay, yeah, maybe you do have something going for you."

With a snap, the hand teleports right over Ray, Marx following right behind. It quickly slams down palm-first as the jester unleashes a wave of cutters. The puffball dodges the hand, but gets nicked by one of the projectiles while doing so, tripping and falling on his face. Marx quickly takes to the sky and scatters seeds again while the hand rises and starts emitting lasers from its fingers around Ray just as he's getting back up. He manages to dance around the lasers, but one of the vines cuts him off as they grow from the seeds, painfully bouncing the puffball away. Again the hand gets cut up from some of the vines, but this time it doesn't seem to notice. Ray manages to land on his feet, looking around for Marx briefly. When he doesn't find the jester anywhere, the puffball dives to the side just in time to avoid said foe popping out from the ground underneath him. Ray zips over to the hand as it finishes its laser attack, bashing it once and hopping over it to perform a parasol dive into its back.

"**Enough playing around!**" Marx booms as he and the hand teleport to the other side of the battlefield. "**Time to end you!**" With a snap, the hand materializes many mirrors around the room at odd angles while the jester's eyes start bulging from their sockets, enlarging and growing many pupils.

"Uh...I don't know if this is any better than Dark Matter eyes...eye. Singular." Marx starts rapidly firing lasers from his eyes, not even bothering to aim as he slowly drifts forward. "Oh boy!" Ray exclaims as he dives behind a mirror for cover, being rewarded by said mirror lifting up just before one laser would bounce off it, hitting the puffball directly instead. Between the laser spam and the mirrors moving about to more effectively bounce said lasers, Ray ends up taking more damage than he likes despite his best efforts at dodging. He does notice the dark hand isn't immune to the lasers either, taking a lot of hits itself due to the chaotic nature of the attack.

Ray steels himself as the attack ends, staring down the hand as it and Marx start warping around the room erratically. The hand stops first, spawning large rings around its finger, twirling them for a moment before launching them at the puffball. At the same time, Marx halts above Ray, letting loose more cutters to cut off his escape route. Ray barely ducks under the rings as they fly past, springing up into the jester with a parasol uppercut, followed up with a parasol dive. The hand comes up behind the puffball as Marx teleports away, thumb and middle finger tensed together. Ray runs away, inadvertently leading the hand right below Marx as he spits out an ice bomb. The hand snaps right next to the bomb, leading to all three of them getting caught in the amplified ice shockwave created, freezing Ray solid and chilling Marx and the hand.

As the puffball breaks free of the ice, Marx warps in next to him and splits in half again, creating another black hole. Ray quickly retreats, almost running into the hand as it attempts to scoop him up and toss him in. He leaps over the hand at the last moment, quickly turning around and performing a parasol dive right into its back. The hand drops to the ground as the black hole dissipates, stunned from the sudden reversal, and Ray finishes it off with a couple of quick swings of his umbrella and one last powerful dive. The hand starts convulsing with pain, multiple explosions coming from it as its form starts wavering. As Marx reappears, his helper finally blows up completely, causing the jester to reel back in agony, letting loose an ear-splitting scream.

Once Ray regains his hearing, he looks over to Marx, who's resting on the ground, looking just as bad off as the puffball himself. "Wow, that...that really did a number on you, didn't it?"

"**This...this isn't over yet!**"

"It kinda is. I...okay, you're not the weakest of all of Kirby's past villains, but you're one of the most predictable. Easiest to avoid. That Master Hand thing was the only thing you had going for you, and now that it's gone...yeah, I'm just not gonna get hit ever."

"**We'll see about that!**" Marx's cheeks puff up momentarily, letting loose a huge laser in Ray's direction.

The puffball opens his parasol to his side, letting himself get dragged out of the way. "Laser, easy to sidestep!" The jester drops an ice bomb as Ray starts running to him, the puffball hopping over the cold shockwave it creates. "Ice bomb, just jump over it!"

Marx backs up, smirking. "**How about THIS!**" His wings retract, being replaced by pulsing vein-like appendages, which grow out to surround Ray as he approaches.

The puffball skids to a stop right before he would run into one of the disturbing tendrils. "Okay, yeah, that's new." He tentatively backs away in case it does anything. "But you don't look like...wait, something's not right here..."

From seemingly nowhere, the dark hand slams down from above, flattening Ray. The vines retract and Marx, smug as ever, starts cackling. The hand lifts itself off of the cyan puffball, only to make a fist and slam down on him again, and again, and again, as cracks start forming in the floor...

"**You IDIOT! You didn't think I could just make another one!? Oh, this is rich! Just when you think you're in the clear, when you've got everything figured out, you just end up getting stomped flat by my own hand!**" The jester keeps laughing uncontrollably, his wings vanishing as he lands again. "Now, die!"

The hand starts rocketing off down the hall, swiftly turning around and delivering one final blow to Ray, making the floor collapse and sending the puffball down into darkness...

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

_**Welcome to Star Warrior Legacies. After one month in development, hopefully it was worth the wait.**_

_**Jokes aside, sorry about how late this one is. Distractions abound, writer's block, the works. I actually had help from a friend who wishes to stay anonymous writing the battle with Marx at the end. Hopefully you like it as much as I did.**_

_**Anyway, this is brand new territory we're diving into here. The roleplay this story draws from stopped just after entering the Mirror World, mostly because I drove it in a dead end, essentially. Completely my fault. Sorry to those who recognize and remember it.**_

_**Hopefully next chapter won't take an entire month to complete. As always, hope you enjoyed! And would anyone please let me know if I need to up the age rating? New to writing stories and I've barely any idea if I'm crossing over from K+ into T.**_


End file.
